


Cheers for the love! Cheers for loving you! (Aishiteru banzai! Daisuki da banzai!)

by TheCoolOne05



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/F, Fluff, Future, Hurt/Comfort, Long Distance Relationship, Romance, They haven’t been meeting for a while, i guess?, slight angst, so here, which is sad :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-03 07:45:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15814530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCoolOne05/pseuds/TheCoolOne05
Summary: After graduating from high school and staying in Japan for two more years, Maki finally pursued her medical career abroad. And now, after ten years, Maki graduated and finally came home. During her leisure, she was able to finally meet Nico.As the years passed, many things have changed. Drastic, enormous changes happened. This caused μ’s to lose constant contact of each other, only able to meet every now and then—contrary to the last ten years. That said, the question is: Can Maki cope with said changes?





	Cheers for the love! Cheers for loving you! (Aishiteru banzai! Daisuki da banzai!)

**Author's Note:**

> A result of listening to Aishiteru Banzai way too much XD

The night was cold. The busy streets of Tokyo buzzed as the people in jackets and other comfortable clothes went about with their routines. The city was decored with snow and ice, and it glimmered with Christmas lights and decorations. The cold wind of the winter evening blew every so often, effectively causing chills to creep up a certain redhead’s skin.

The redhead hugged herself tighter, rubbing her arms to generate more warmth. She tugged the collar of her brown long coat along with her red scarf, adjusting them to cover her neck better. Her Christmas mittens (with a cute little drawing of a female chibi Santa as a design) weren’t helping warm her hands either. So she hastily rubbed them together, hoping to get some heat.

Despite the cold, Maki Nishikino looked around her, eyes peeled and widened. It was like she was a child once again, looking at the scenery around her excitedly. Ah, how she missed this place... Studying abroad just to get a medical license AND research more about foreign medical knowledges does take quite a lot of time away from her, leaving her with no leisure time at all.

Now, she’s not one to take a break, if you’d ask her. But, she thinks it’s okay to have a little fun and break every once in a while. After all, that contributes to a healthy mind; and a healthy mind, as she always say to herself and others, is a priority. She knew that stress alone could make a person feel ill and get ill.

Finally, after so many years, she’s graduated. She’s now a new and improved Maki Nishikino—of should we say, Dr. Maki Nishikino. Maki smiled to herself, something she’s grown to do after years of change. It was genuine, sweet smile directed to no one in particular.

”You know...” she whispered to herself, stopping from her tracks and looking at a random building. “I really like the sound of that... Dr. Maki Nishikino.” A satisfied sigh escaped from her lips. “Just a little bit more, Mama, Papa. You can finally retire. You two need it, after all.”

The redhead continued on with her walk, minding her every step as she went through the snowy pavements. Her mind then started to wander somewhere. She didn’t really worry about getting lost in her way. Due to the thick snow, vehicles were advised to not be used today, and she really wasn’t particularly going to a specific destination.

She simply enjoyed the jolly, relaxing atmosphere and the mixture of cold from the winter and the warmth from her thick clothing. Occasionally stopping to look at certain shops and signs. She even saw a poster advertising the live of the school idol group-turned-professional idol group called Aqours. Seeing that poster made her feel nostalgic, the hairs of her skin stood as if cold wind had entered her clothing.

“I wonder might’ve happened if we decided to continue our idolhood...?” Maki’s thoughts escaped her mouth, although accidental, she had hoped someone would answer. But, alas, that would’ve been too good to be true.

She sighed, both in satisfaction and melancholy. She missed her friends, the way they seem to pull her towards wonders she’s never seen or experienced, and the feeling of pleasure and happiness whenever they did their idol activities or just hanged out. All in all, she just miss μ's.

But most of all, she missed her.

“No, no...” she shook her thoughts away as she continued walking down her path. “I’ve broken way too many of the promises I’ve given to her. I even promised to go straight to her home once I’m finally back in the country...”

She did check their residence, but it seems that they did not live there anymore. And now, because of the cold, cold, winter, Maki couldn’t begin a thorough search. She regrets her decision, but she simply didn’t want to waste time finding someone she didn’t even know where to start searching first.

“Nico-chan probably hates me now for breaking many promises...” she lamented as she hung her head low, still walking down the path she’s walking. Due to that, she did not notice the person that stumbled upon her.

“Did you call me?” A familiar voice asked. That was Nico-chan’s voice, the redhead immediately thought as her head snapped back up too look at the source of the voice. Well, “familiar” is an understatement. Nico’s voice has changed drastically over the course of time, and her voice has deepened to at least sound like a voice actress named Sora Tokui.

She, however, did not expect how Nico would look after all these years because she only looked up a bit. She fully expected a short person with twin, black tails of hair sticking out the two sides of the girl’s head. What she got, however, was a woman taller than her by approximately 3-4 more inches, still black hair yet tied in a low ponytail, and sporting a small, genuine smile directed at hers truly.

“Who are you?! W-woah!!” Maki yelled as she stumbled back, only to trip on her own feet and fell backwards to her “death”.

The anticipated impact did not come though for the surprisingly agile woman took hold of her hand, pulling the redhead towards her sturdy body (Maki instantly felt it), and wrapping her arms around the mentioned redhead. Well, if her goal was to save Maki AND turn her whole head into a steaming hot tomato, the woman surely succeeded for they are now hugging in public.

“Woah there, Maki-chan! I thought we established way back that Honoka was the clumsy one,” the woman chuckled. Maki could only look up at the apparent “Nico-chan” she once knew. Maki could only notice that, unlike before, Nico did not give off a cute and childish aura anymore.

She doesn’t want to admit it. But Nico looked mature and beautiful like a strong, sensible woman now! And she secretly thought that she also looked kind of handsome.

“N-Nico-chan...? Is that really you?” The redhead asked, not noticing the fact that they are still hugging and people are definitely noticing them.

Unexpected to Nico, Maki hugged her once again, this time, tighter. She buried her face to the jacket of the raven-haired woman and all in all just enjoyed the vigorous feeling that rushed to her emotions. She was very happy to see Nico again, and so was Nico to her.

Although Nico didn’t want to, tears automatically formed in the sides of her eyes and fell as she returned the hug of her long-awaited best friend. And to her surprise once again, once the redhead pulled away from the hug, she saw that her face was wet and messy of tears. In short, they both really missed each other.

“It’s been a while, Maki-chan,” the ravenhead smiled a soft and sincere one. A welcoming smile that the redhead loved the most. “We...changed quite a lot, huh? I heard you’re a licensed doctor now...”

“Yeah... I’m sorry I haven’t told you...” Maki looked at the ground in shame. She was still guilty of the fact that she didn’t even try to search for her, in favor of relaxing herself and enjoying her lone leisure. Now she’s beginning to doubt if she really did change...

To her surprise, Nico only chuckled at her reply. She then extended her arm towards the redhead, offering her hand to Maki. The redhead, who was wide-eyed, hesitated before she finally took her hand. To which Nico responded by yanking her arm with her as she pulled Maki with her while running. She thought of a much proper place to catch up.

“H-hey! Wait a minute, Nico-chan!!” complained Maki as she tried to catch up with Nico to avoid breaking her own arm. One disadvantage of shutting yourself down to focus on study, she thought, was that she barely gets any exercise now. She was hoping that would change now that she’s graduated. She didn’t expect that change to happen now though, on a cold weather at that.

After about five minutes of running and being pulled away by her friend, they eventually stopped at a very familiar fast food place—the one where all of μ's used to hang out and eat. As soon as they entered, the warmth of the heater welcomed them and the delightful, nostalgic smell of the fast food restaurant entered their olfactory senses.

Though out of breath from all that running, Maki was simply in awe as past memories and moments suddenly came back. Chills ran down her spine once again as she remembered those precious moments. It was as if all her fatigue suddenly vanished once she entered the establishment...

Hand still holding the redhead’s, Nico pulled the tomato-lover with her (gently this time) and they arrived to an empty seat. Nico pulled a seat for Maki and then sat on her own. She has specifically picked a table for two beside the cold glass windows because she really just loved the view.

Right now, as they sat, Nico finally let go of the younger one’s hand. Maki immediately missed the feeling of her senior’s hand around her despite both of them wearing mittens. The redhead could only stare at the one in front of her (who now have busied herself with the wintery view by the window), the aura now turning quite awkward for her.

After all, she IS still guilty about breaking her promises towards Nico.

“S-so... Nico-chan,” Maki paused, thinking of how she should talk to her senior. “A-are you mad at me...?”

“Hm? For what?” The ravenhead turned her away from the window, raising an eyebrow. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“Mou... Did you really forget?” Maki whined, which Nico found amusing as she hid a teasing smirk. “Well, I guess that would make sense... From what I could observe you seem busy yourself.”

Nico chuckled at that, sitting properly as she rested her hands on the table. “If you could see that from just the way I look, then it’s safe to say you’ve been busy too, right?”

The redhead stayed silent. She was right after all.

“If that’s so, then I completely understand your situation, Maki-chan.” She smiled big one, showing her white pearls, and with so much happiness, her eyes were closed. “Your favorite idol Nico-nii did do her best to provide her family a better life after all. Thanks to some motivation and help from the rest of μ's, I was able to graduate, establish a business, and become the manager of an idol group company. Like has been quite prosperous for us... Despite that, I still work and work and work because I’ve yet to reach my goal. It wasn’t easy...but it was certainly worth it, and it still is. How about you, Maki-chan? How have you been?”

Maki only replied with a big sigh, followed by resting head on her arms rested on the table.

“Must’ve been tough too, huh?” Nico commented, smiling once again. This time, it was smaller and more of a...concerned smile, so to speak. “Was it worth it in the end though? That’s the question I always ask myself whenever I dedicate my tike and life on something. No ask yourself that as well.”

“Of course it was!” Maki exclaimed in her most “calm” way of expressing intense emotion, effectively avoiding causing ruckus in the restaurant. “It’s just... I look sad like this because I’m still feeling guilty. Also! Since when were you this philosophical? Are you really the Nico I know?” She pointed an accusing finger at her senior, which looked funny in Nico’s opinion.

Giggling, Nico let her hair free and fished her pocket to get another hair tie. She then tied her hair once again, but this time, in two familiar tails that instantly hit Maki’s nostalgia button.

She then cleared her throat and spoke in a most familiar voice: “Nico Nico-nii~! Anata no heart ni Nico Nico-nii, egao todokeru Yazawa Nico Nico~! Nico-nii te oboeteru Love Nico~! Convinced now?” She reverted back to her real voice.

Looks like it has finally been confirmed for Maki, this is the Nico she knew! Completely changed and matured.

“You really are Nico!” Maki exclaimed, a hand covered her mouth agape. “Wait, how did you just change your voice from your past to present?”

The ravenhead simply shrugged. “I just found out that I can actually change my voice into many pitches and tones. I guess I do have other talents I simply don’t know about.”

“You’ve changed quite a lot...” Maki murmured, sad that she didn’t change that much physically. “I’m still pretty much the same height, and everything else regarding my body almost didn’t change. The only thing that changed was my hair length and nothing else.”

“Hey, that’s not true...” Nico said in a low tone, resting her hand on the tomato-lover’s to comfort her. “You got taller....I think.”

“You don’t have to rub it in, you know...” She deadpanned before the both of them laughed it out. Their sharing of laughter made them not realize once again that they’re doing something “shameless”, as certain Umi Sonoda would say, in this case, hand-holding in public.

Soon. Too soon. Their laughter ended, Maki, still feeling the guilt of her broken promises, could only look down in shame again. She cannot look straight towards Nico’s eyes at all. This whole time, Maki has avoided direct eye contact from Nico. There was something definitely off with her, and even she didn’t know what that is.

The older one could notice this and decided to take of her and Maki’s mittens. She rested them on one side of the table. Nico hesitated for a bit, but she took a deep breath and slowly reached for the redhead’s hand again. This time though, she reached for both hands.

The sudden skin contact surprised the young one. The younger one’s heart thumped so fast and loud, she swore she and Nico could hear it. Blood immediately rushed to her face, settling on her cheeks as they presented themselves as blushes. Despite the cold, her hands became sweaty, so was Nico’s, but they both did not mind.

Similarly, the older one blushed and her heart thumped loud and fast. But simply holding hands was not enough for her. Slowly, she reached more. She intertwined their fingers together.

After a long debate in Maki’s mind, she finally looked at Nico’s waiting eyes, her sincere, soft smile directed at her that only made her heart beat quicker.

“Remember what I said earlier? I’ve yet to reach my goal...” Nico began. “Maki-chan, You’ve also yet to break one last promise. Do you remember that one?”

Maki’s eyes widened as she realized she’s forgotten one promise.

That’s right! I did have one last promise! I...completely forgot what that is though...

“Let me help remind you then,” Nico offered. “It’s been my lifelong goal to become your girlfriend, Maki-chan. Do you remember that?”

Maki nodded slowly. She finally remembered her last promise, but suddenly, she was hit by her inability to speak.

“Everyday, every night, I dream of a more prosper life family. Question is: Is it worth it in the end? Well, yes, it is. But how about my own needs? My own goals? Apparently, I still didn’t have a goal for myself... And then I remembered your promise. Among all your promises, this one was the only promise I didn’t want to be broken. I finally had a goal in life, and no, it’s not about being your girlfriend anymore.”

Nico then stopped speaking. It seems that she was hesitating if she should say it or not. After all, they’ve only met today after so many years...

So Maki moved her mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off.

“Maki-chan!”

“Someday, sometime, I want to wave goodbye to our yesterday and look forward to our tomorrow together. I want to marry you, Maki-chan... Not now, but someday. And to, someday, form a family with you. That is my lifelong goal.”

Maki could only stare at her senior in surprise. She did promise that she will become her girlfriend once she’s graduated after Nico asked her out. She didn’t expect that Nico’s love for her only evolved as the years went by. From girlfriend, it turned into a desire of marriage and a desire of forming a family with her.

“Nico-chan... I...I will wait for that day.” She replied, pushing through her flustered self. “So for now... I will fulfill my last promise to you. Please take care of me, Nico-chan.” She then smiled to her as Nico’s eyes lit up in vigor.

Nico Yazawa and Maki Nishikino are officially dating!

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! This was quite a long one! I hope you all enjoyed reading! Thank you for reading as well!
> 
> NicoMaki is such a nice ship. Like, there’s so many scenerios you cam imagine with the two of them and it would fit perfectly! I LOVE IT
> 
> Anyway, this is kinda connected to the one weird fic I wrote XD The one about reproduction in the world of Love Live!
> 
> Fun fact: I calculated Nico and Maki’s ages here. So Maki is currently 29 and Nico is a whopping 31! Wow! This is was some long time Nico had to wait for Maki to finally be her girlfriend... Damn, must have been quite a life for her.
> 
> Anyhoo! This is a one shot, but if you guys want a continuation of some sort, then by all means, tell me in the comments! XD Stay cool!


End file.
